When hardwood replaces ice at PPG Paints Arena this week for the Atlantic 10 Tournament, it won’t be Duquesne’s home court. But the goal is to defend that floor as if it is the same one at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse across the street.
“We have a Pittsburgh native in Jake DiMichele, who always says we’ve got to protect the city. He’s been saying this since June,” Dukes assistant coach Julian Sullinger said last week. “So we’re really looking forward to the opportunity to get after it and get some wins at PPG.”
The A-10 Tournament begins Wednesday, with the Dukes one of 10 teams getting a bye into the second round. By virtue of their improbable 30-point comeback over Richmond on Saturday afternoon, the Dukes have locked up the No. 7 seed in the tournament and will play Rhode Island at 5 p.m. Thursday.
The event is the culmination of a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the conference, originally formed as the Eastern 8 Basketball League in 1975-76. Pittsburgh hosted the meetings for the formation of that league and five of the first six conference championships. Duquesne was one of the charter members of the league, and the original league offices were established in Pittsburgh in 1978. The Dukes captured the first-ever conference championship in 1977.
“Duquesne has a lot of history in this conference during their tenure,” head coach Dru Joyce III said during his radio show on Fox Sports Pittsburgh 970. “We’re excited to be able to play this tournament in our backyard. It’s almost like a little bit of a home court advantage, and hopefully we get the support of the Pittsburgh community to rally us and give us some more juice.”
Despite Duquesne’s campus being nothing more than a long 3-pointer away from the loading dock entrance to PPG Paints Arena, the “home court advantage” will be in name and crowd support only. The Dukes haven’t actually played there since 2020.
Joyce laughed off the prospect of sneaking over for a midnight practice to get a feel for the building.
“I’m sure there are a few rules (against that). I should have maneuvered that, probably early in the summer, to just somehow get a practice,” Joyce joked. “But I don’t think they were set up for basketball just yet.”
The last time PPG Paints Arena hosted the Atlantic 10 Tournament was 2017, and the Dukes’ stay at their home away from home was short. They dropped a 72-71 opening round game to St. Louis in what turned out to be Jim Ferry’s last game as head coach. Keith Dambrot took over the next year.
It’s the goal of Duquesne’s players to extend Pittsburgh’s presence much longer this time.
“We rep Pittsburgh pride,” Dukes guard Brandon Hall said last week. “We want to get it done for the fans. They were able to get it done two years ago. I’m sure that was a great feeling for the city. We want to re-create that for sure.”
Hall was referencing the 2024 A-10 Tournament championship run the Dukes made in Brooklyn to propel them to their first NCAA Tournament since that 1977 team.
David Dixon was a member of the ‘24 club. The outgoing senior was the author of Saturday’s dramatic game-winning tip to beat Richmond in the regular season finale.
Duquesne trailed by 30 POINTS in this game. THIS. IS. MARCH. https://t.co/iJNLxyT1Ghpic.twitter.com/l9l58DLDOD
— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 7, 2026
“This is our city. I want the arena to be packed with fans,” Dixon said. “It’s a pride thing going into the Tournament. We are a Pittsburgh school. This is our area. We don’t want to allow anyone to come into our city and beat us.”
If Dixon and Co. can re-create their theatrics from Saturday a few times this week, they may be able to re-create their history from 2024 as well and fulfill that goal.